Marauders start tourney 1-1

The Monache High School baseball team opened the Tulare Visalia PRO~PT Invitational with a 2-1 win over Mira Monte before falling 6-4 to Bakersfield Christian Monday at Mt. Whitney High School.

On the mound for the win was Monache’s Ricky Alba. The junior went seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits and no walks. Mira Monte’s earned run came in the first inning.

The Marauders (76, 1-2 East Yosemite League) comeback was in the bottom of the sixth inning when senior Bryson Pettit batted in sophomore Bobby Sandoval and junior Moses Caraveo. Monache players were walked in six plate appearance and the team finished with three hits. Their hits came from Pettit as well as juniors Aaron Azevedo and Matthew Cloyd.

Against Bakersfield Christian, Monache held a slim 3-2 lead after the third inning but gave up a run in the fifth and three in the sixth to fall behind 6-3. In the top of the seventh they were able to get one run back before the game ended.

Senior pitcher Reed Passmore went five innings for the Marauders, giving up three earned runs on five hits and six walks. He also had six strikeouts. Senior A.J. Berrones pitched an inning and gave up three runs on two hits and one walk. Berrones also struckout two.

Monache’s top hitters were sophomore Daniel Andrade and senior Miguel Tapia who each had two hits and scored a run.

Antelope Valley 8 Porterville 3

Porterville College (1-25, 1-8 Central Valley Conference) baseball fell 8-3 to Antelope Valley (14-12) in a nonconference road game Monday.

Matt Cox took the loss on the mound after going 4 1/3 innings. He gave up four earned runs on three hits, two walks and a strikeout. Ricky Reyes relieved Cox and allowed three walks and one hit but no runs. Leonardo Gomez closed, giving up four runs on four hits and one walk in the two innings he pitched.

PC scored runs in the top of the first and fourth inning off an Rbi-walk delivered to Ryan Pearce and an Rbi-groundout from Brandon Lozano. But in the bottom of the fifth, the Pirates gave up four runs and then another four in the seventh. Alex Sarmienta’s Rbi-triple in the ninth inning gave the Pirates their final run of the night. Sarmienta went 3-for-5 and to lead the